Identification of Somatosensory Compounds Contributing to Slipperiness and Thickness Perceptions in Canned Prunes (Prunus domestica)

The role of small molecules on the somatosensory properties of prunes (Prunus domestica) was investigated. Sensory descriptive analysis defined two main somatosensations, thickness and slippery. On the basis of these two attributes, sensory-guided multidimensional fractionation techniques allowed for the isolation of four main compounds, which were identified by mass spectrometry and comparison to authentic standards. Three compounds were identified as monosubstituted isomers of chlorogenic acid, namely, 1-O-caffeoylquinic acid (1-CQA), 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3-CQA), and 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4-CQA), in addition to a fourth, vanillic acid glucoside (VG). Sensory recombination model analysis of each compound at endogenous concentrations of the prunes indicated that all compounds significantly contributed to slippery sensations, whereas 3-CQA, 4-CQA, and VG contributed to thickness sensations (alpha = 0.05).